Print

[SAF Bats]

After a conversation, I am yet again intrigued by bats!  Well maybe the buyers preference more then the bat as it is a supply and demand thing...

Why go for a big edge over a smaller edge with more middle!  Is it because they look better or play better?

I would say a large edge plays better across the face of the "sweet spot" area then the length of the "sweet spot" area.

[AlRidd]

So you would get more out of your shots if you don't find the middle?

[tommy2tink]

I think as AlRidd said it's so that as we now see even edged shots can run away for boundaries. e.g. top-edged sixes. The down side of this that people seem to ignore is that edges then carry more, increasing the likelihood of being caught.

I personally prefer a bat with smaller edges and less/no concaving such as the Mjolnir.

[yvk3103]

I think the "big edge" bats are being preferred by many (and being exploited by the bat companies) given the kind of bats that most of the professional players now use. The professionals would like bats with big edges as it may give them more value to their shots even if they do not middle them properly (just one more innovation to make the ODIs and T20s more exciting).

Big edges may translate into more runs even on mistimed shots, make slip catching more difficult (decrease the slip fielders reaction time) and add to the longevity of the bats as the edges may be stronger and hence take more beating before breaking. On the flip side, they may not be good for a youngster who is learning to play the game as they may like to whack the ball than time it. Also T2T mentioned above, edges now-a-days result in valuable boundaries.

I think most of the pros now prefer bats with a bow, which (as far as i understand makes the middle more concentrated than longer) so the big edge thing is a good trade-off.

[niceonechoppy]

Personally i prefer a bat that can give me the chance of giving that big shot, for some reason i feel like with a smaller edged bat i cant/shouldnt do this otherwise i would be caught. So these bats could help with the mentality side of batting as well as the run scoring.

[yvk3103]

Personally i prefer a bat that can give me the chance of giving that big shot, for some reason i feel like with a smaller edged bat i cant/shouldnt do this otherwise i would be caught. So these bats could help with the mentality side of batting as well as the run scoring.

the only players that i have seen using a bat with relatively smaller edges are Rahul Dravid, Md. Azharudin and VVS. Their playing style is more like a controlled stroke play rather than big hitting. Most if us would not remember when Rahul or VVS hot the last six!!

But like Norb said, I assume their bats would have a longer middle / sweetspot as a result of having a fuller back

[niceonechoppy]

the only players that i have seen using a bat with relatively smaller edges are Rahul Dravid, Md. Azharudin and VVS. Their playing style is more like a controlled stroke play rather than big hitting. Most if us would not remember when Rahul or VVS hot the last six!!

But like Norb said, I assume their bats would have a longer middle / sweetspot as a result of having a fuller back

Yes you could be right, however i am not a batmaker and therefore wouldnt definitely no for sure how this would affect the middle of the bat.

[yvk3103]

what do you think Norb?

Some comments from the resident batmakers will be nice.....

[Talisman]

Bigger edges give a bigger middle in size on the face, but decrease the power from the centre. It is a trade off as you cannot take wood from one position and not have an effect from the action.

The bow is a result of 3 possible actions,

1, The old fashioned bow was caused in the dead flat face by repeatedly striking the ball in the middle and was considered a sign of a good batsman.
2, The Asian bow is created by increasing the pressure of the roller during pressing in the middle and also from planing the face out to create the above bow artificially.
3, The Resulting bow is due to the pressing process and is a result of the pressing method rather than any desire the create it.

The bow itself adds no benefit, unless you are a spiv retailer and they don't half talk it up without knowing what it is.

Big edges are possible in Pro bats due to low density, they are in shop bats due to the better willow conditioning and the desire to copy the Pro bats.

[niceonechoppy]

I'm not really sure that a bigger edge bat makes any difference to the perfomance. Maybe just pleasing to the eye of the buyer...

yes could just be another marketing ploy.

[cd0070]

well what defines a big edge? 35mm 30mm 25mm? on a bat which weighs 2.6 2.8 2.10??

tailsman you mentioned big edges take away power from the middle, again does that mean that a bat weighing 2.10 should only have 30mm edges and anymore would reduce the power from the middle? I remember one of my old Surridge retro bat didn't have big edges but now I play so many cross bat shots I think the extra willow on the edges help.

[SAF Bats]

what do you think Norb?

Some comments from the resident batmakers will be nice.....

I imagine batmakers don't have a view as it is a supply and demand thing like I said before! Maybe ask them if they use a large edge bat or not and why?

From a physical performance perspective it is quite an interesting question though. 


Is the market based on aesthetics?  Most bats for sale give you an edge size nowadays but no one [manufacturers] says why they do this! Will a larger edge help?

The bats I use don't have a large edge the wood is there for off centre shots but no taken up by the surface area of edge but that is my perference!

so the quesiton I think still stands!

Bowing should be a different thread

[SAF Bats]

well what defines a big edge? 35mm 30mm 25mm? on a bat which weighs 2.6 2.8 2.10??

tailsman you mentioned big edges take away power from the middle, again does that mean that a bat weighing 2.10 should only have 30mm edges and anymore would reduce the power from the middle? I remember one of my old Surridge retro bat didn't have big edges but now I play so many cross bat shots I think the extra willow on the edges help.

It is all relative based on weight a lighter bat will have a smaller edge then a heavier bat as the overall volume of wood is less. [depending on the initial cleft weight]

Also there is no hard an fast rule on what constitutes a big edge 2.10 30mm may look small if the spine [centre] is high. Talisman I think is saying when the spine height is reduced for the expense of the edge

[Talisman]

I have an order for 3 bats at 2.8 with 40mm edges, I'd say that was big, anything that creates the need for concaving or a lower spine height to get down to a weight is a big edge.

[cd0070]

ok, a teammate has been using a big kahuna he has one from maybe 4-5 yrs ago at 2.14 and got a new one last season at 2.14 the nee kahuna's edges are probably about 4-5mm bigger than the older model and it has concave to it. But now he feels the bat picks up much lighter, so he has to increase the weight of his bat is that good or bad? who knows but now he has a bat with bigger edges which weighs more but picks up the same..

not sure if this is still on topic of edges or new topic about concaves.. :-)